As of May 2025, there are 390 female billionaires around the world, whose combined net worth exceeds $1.996bn.
TradingPedia has combed through Forbes magazine’s Real-Time Billionaires List and discovered that now, there are more female billionaires than ever before.
A third of them, or 129 women in total, come from Europe and are collectively valued at $598.4bn. Home to 46 ultra-wealthy women, Germany is the European nation with the largest number of female billionaires.
Here are a few key takeaways from the report:
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Currently, there are 758 billionaires across Europe, and 129 of them, or approximately 13.9%, are women. Their collective net worth reaches $598.4bn or €532.6bn.
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Germany is home to 46 female billionaires, more than any other country in Europe, with their wealth amounting to $167.3bn (€148.8bn).
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Italy has 22 female billionaires (combined net worth of $60.8bn), followed by Sweden’s 10 women ($43.6bn in total net worth), whose wealth exceeds $1bn.
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The richest woman in Europe is Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, who, together with her family, owns roughly $79.8bn. The 71-year-old L’Oréal (OR.PA) heiress is also the second-richest woman in the world after Walmart’s (WMT) Alice Walton and the 20th richest person in the world.
The United States remains the country with the largest number of female billionaires, 120 in total. Similarly to most American wealthy women, many of Europe’s female billionaires have inherited their wealth. A good example is Germany’s richest woman, Susanne Klatten, who owns a majority stake in pharmaceutical and chemicals manufacturer Altana, and also has holdings in Germany’s auto giant BMW (BMW.DE). Following her father’s death, she inherited his 50.1% stake in Altana and is now worth $22.7bn.
Italy’s wealthiest woman, Paola Del Vecchio, is also no exception; she is one of six children of Leonardo Del Vecchio, the founder of EssilorLuxottica (EL.PA), known for eyewear brands including Ray-Ban and Oakley. Through her investments, Paola Del Vecchio is now worth $6bn.
Switzerland’s wealthiest woman, on the other hand, Rafaela Aponte-Diamant is a self-made billionaire, whose wealth is attributed to her 50% stake in the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) Group, the world’s largest shipping line. With a net worth of $34.1bn, she is now the world’s fifth richest woman and the 43rd richest person overall.
